Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

How common are these trans fats in supermarket foods?  These hydrogenated fats are so favored by the prepared food industry that they have made their way into French fries (one of the richest sources of trans fats), other fried foods, breads and other baked goods, savory snacks, and many convenience and processed foods like potato chips, com and other chips, cookies, and crackers. For years they have slipped into our foods, and it was once thought that they were as good as the unsaturated fats from which they were originally made. A large study recently suggested that limiting consumption of trans fatty acids would be more helpful in preventing heart attacks than simply limiting overall fat intake or even saturated fat intake. It is a challenge to find ready to eat products without these fats added to them. Begin by avoiding foods that list “partially hydrogenated” oil or fat on the label. Margarine manufacturers are aware of this problem, so the old margarines that were based ...

What about fats in plant foods?  There are many current myths about fats. That fats can play both a beneficial role and a damaging one is at the root of the confusion. If you have heart disease, you need to be extra careful about your animal fat intake. Making plant foods the centerpiece of your meals eliminates much of the worry about the amount of fat you take in you’ll automatically get the right kind of fat. Remember that the fats in plants, with a few exceptions like coconut, are good fats . It is the fat from land animals beef and chicken that you need to be concerned about, because they contain large amounts of saturated fats. Natural plant fats are usually unsaturated. Furthermore, animal foods contain cholesterol, whereas there is no cholesterol in plant foods. Aren't nuts high fat foods that I should avoid?  Nuts are high in fat, but these are the good fats. Recent studies have shown that nuts help lower blood cholesterol, and in a major study done by Loma L...